VANCOUVER -- A deeper look at demographics in the province reveals that children and teens are not immune from being among the sickest COVID-19 patients.
In the last month, five people under the age of 20 were admitted to intensive care units. Two of those patients were younger than 10.
As of Monday, it appeared all five are now out of critical care.
In an update Monday, the provincial health officer said there has been an increase in younger people requiring hospitalization for the disease, particularly in the weeks since school ended for the winter break.
"We've been watching it very carefully, trying to determine exactly what the contributing factors are," Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
"Most of it is related to transmission within households and small groups, so that is a challenge."
While many impacted by COVID-19 are adults, the median age of who's been impacted is younger now than in April.
Initially, the median was at 53. It's now at 37.
A doctor and B.C. university professor said there's another thing doctors are concerned about as well: multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).
"We do see a few children have an inflammatory response that is quite significant," pediatrician Ran Goldman told CTV News.
The rare condition can cause rashes and inflammation. There have been five cases in the province since the start of the pandemic.
Henry said there would be more information later this week on cases of MIS-C and COVID-19 in young people.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's David Molko
